[Lunar Logs] The Contest to Win a Date with Megumi Ogata

Megumi Ogata plays with a Sailor Uranus keychain on her "date's" bag

Megumi Ogata plays with a Sailor Uranus keychain on her “date’s” bag

Lunar Logs is a weekly series featuring full translations of interviews with Ms. Takeuchi and others — such as the directors, writers, voice cast, and more — responsible for making Sailor Moon into the massively popular franchise we know it as today. Though not every interview will directly address or even mention Sailor Moon, I find it an interesting look into the minds of these influential figures.

Today’s article isn’t so much an interview per se, but rather coverage of a rather… unique contest Animage magazine held in 1995 titled “A Date with Ogata.” As the name implies, it was a chance for readers to submit their best date plans to the magazine and, upon careful consideration, three lucky winners would have their chance to go on a date with the superstar voice actress Megumi Ogata.1

If that doesn’t sound bizarre enough to you, well… okay, so you probably have just been exposed to Ikuhara’s madcap antics a bit too often.

Today we’ll be going into the story of Megumi Ogata’s doki doki de-to with one of her intrepid fans, a second year junior high schooler named Natsuko. Read on for the date coverage!

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[Lunar Logs] Yuko Minaguchi On the Challenge of Voicing Hotaru

Hotaru does not approve

Hotaru does not approve

Lunar Logs is a weekly series featuring full translations of interviews with Ms. Takeuchi and others — such as the directors, writers, voice cast, and more — responsible for making Sailor Moon into the massively popular franchise we know it as today. Though not every interview will directly address or even mention Sailor Moon, I find it an interesting look into the minds of these influential figures.

Today we’ll be focusing on two interviews conducted with Yuko Minaguchi, voice of Hotaru Tomoe in the 90s anime. The first one, titled “It was a bit of a challenge, performing four roles in one,” covers the challenge she faced joining the Sailor Moon cast — then an anime she’d only heard of in passing — and in playing the many different aspects of Hotaru’s character.1

The second one? Well, in this “Behind the Voice” interview, she shares information about her home life and her darling rabbits. A rather fitting pet, don’t you think? August 1996 issue of Animage.2

Read on and learn a little something about how Usagi rabbits can help turn a house into a home!

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Why Was There No Fan Reaction to the Deaths of Uranus and Neptune?

There's absolutely no way anything is about to happen

There’s absolutely no way anything is about to happen

There is perhaps no greater proof out there about just how much of an impact Sailor Uranus and Neptune had on young fans than the fact that the Sailor Moon S episode showcasing their death still ranks within the top 5 Sailor Moon memories even 25 years later.1

And yet, in stark contrast to the swift response flooded in from concerned fans and parents after the traumatizing penultimate episode in Sailor Moon‘s first season, fans were surprisingly quiet in the first few days and weeks following the deaths of our favorite Sailor cousins partners. What happened, and what can this tell us about how the Sailor Moon fandom grew as the series progressed?

Fortunately for us, Megumi Ogata (voice of Haruka Tenoh) and Masako Katsuki (voice of Michiru Kaioh) joined Animedia’s reporter2 for a behind-the-glass conversation about what goes on in the recording booth, how episode 110 (“The Death of Uranus and Neptune: The Talismans Appear”) came to be and their reactions to it, and more!

If you’ve always wanted to know more about this famous episode, now’s your chance!

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Who Sentenced Sailor Pluto to Death?

Oh, Pluto... if only you knew what's coming next

Oh, Pluto… if only you knew what’s coming next

While Sailor Saturn is generally considered by fans to be the most unlucky of the Senshi, personally I’d argue that it’s Setsuna who really got the short end of the Moon Stick.1 Between her unrequited love for a married man, having a non-sensical back story, and getting killed for literally doing her job, it’s not easy being Sailor Pluto.

One thing that’s always bothered me, though, were the circumstances surrounding her death in the Black Moon arc. Why did she die, and who condemned her to death in the first place?

Today we’re going to take a closer look into Sailor Pluto’s so-called “taboos” and how they ended up being placed on her. Make sure your Space-Time doors are fully closed, you’ve had your morning coffee or tea, and let’s get going!

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What Is Sailor Saturn’s Attack – Death Reborn / Ribbon Revolution?

Death R_b__n Revolution!

Death R_b__n Revolution!

It never fails to amaze me just how popular Sailor Saturn is within the Sailor Moon universe despite how little “screen time” she gets in both the anime and the manga. While things played out for her a little better in book form, she is sadly one of the only members of the Sailor Team to have never make it into one of the movies. Poor girl.

And yet even with all that popularity and fan attention, we still find ourselves debating what should be the simplest of questions: what is the name of her ultimate attack, and what does it even mean?

Today we’re going to dissect Hotaru Tomoe’s one-and-done Infinity Arc attack, Death R_b__n Revolution, and settle this issue once and for all.1 If you’re a fan of the Mistress (9) of Death, you’ll want to stick around!

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Happy Birthday Michiru Kaioh!

Happy Birthday Michiru! (courtesy of Non's blog)

Happy Birthday Michiru! (courtesy of Non’s blog)

Sailor Neptune — talented violinist, painter, and a Sailor Soldier who will rip your heart out in the pursuit of her mission.

Considering that my first encounter with the anime after Sailor Moon R was through episode summaries, I had actually read about Haruka and Michiru’s misadventures before I ever had any idea what they actually looked like. And yet, somehow, when I first saw the grainy, low-res late-90s screenshots of them, the character designs was a perfect fit for how they was portrayed in the series.

Much like the ocean that she represents, Michiru gives off the image of a calm, gentle beauty, but carries within her an unimaginable force that could break a ship in two.

In honor of Michiru Kaioh’s birthday, I’d like to take the opportunity to highlight five interesting facts about the Senshi of the sea and her role in Sailor Moon. Happy Birthday, Michiru!

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How Did Sailor Neptune End Up in Season 1 of Sailor Moon?

Wait a sec... is that...?

Wait a sec… is that…?

If there’s one thing I love more than tackling modern day Sailor Moon rumors, it’s finally putting to rest stories that have been with the fandom since its earliest days. And today I’m happy to say that we’re going to talk about just one of those stories!

That’s right, we’re going to talk about the supposed blink-and-you’ll-miss-it inclusion of Sailor Neptune in the first season of Sailor Moon, a whole two seasons and a little over a year before she ever was unveiled to the public.

Is it really the Sailor Neptune we all know and love? And if so, how did she get there?

Well, you’ll just have to read on to find out!

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